A company director funded an extravagant lifestyle for himself and his wife, including a £9million Cotswold mansion and fast cars, with money taken from his own company, it has today been claimed.

Private equity investment company Fern
Advisors Ltd are now reportedly suing former chief executive director Adrian Burford in an effort to get their money back.

A High Court Judge has now granted injunctions against Burford. His assets have also apparently been frozen.

Private equity investment company Fern Advisors Ltd are now reportedly suing former chief executive director Adrian Burford in an effort to get their money back

TheEvening Standard reports the High Court was told 50-year-old Mr Burford bought a £9 million home called Broadwell Manor where he lived with his wife Amber Kennard with the proceeds of the fraud.

Wife: Amber Kennard

It is said he also falsely claimed to have links to MI5, and to have held a senior role in management consultants McKinsey & Co as well as business links with rich and powerful figures.

The paper reportsMr Justice Hickinbottom sitting in the Queen’s Bench division of the High Court heard Burford had spent £9.3million on the Grade II listed Broadwell Manor and also £1.1 million on restaurant Sushinho, in the Kings Road, in which he owned shares.

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It is claimed he used £925,000 to 'prop up a company' he was director of, Westover Medical, and a further £460,00 on another company called Hedgerow Management, which he also controlled.

He then bought £20,000 worth of fine wines from a company he was involved in and a number of luxury cars including an Aston Martin and a Range Rover Discovery 4, it is said.

The judge has now frozen Burford's assets, including the house, companies and shares.

Fern Advisors was founded in 2008. Burford was one of the original directors.

The fraud is said to have started in January 2012.

Burford put forward plans to handle new funds, proposing himself as an interim CEO.

It is said while he suggested he was paid £500,000 a year in salary and made 'no apology for being quite expensive to run', he actually settled for under half that amount.

It is said he also bought a number of luxury cars including an Aston Martin Rapide (pictured) and a Range Rover Discovery 4

Mr Justice Hickinbottom sitting in the Queen's Bench division of the High Court heard Burford had spent £9.3million on the Grade II listed Broadwell Manor

He reportedly said he could 'reduce costs' at his expensive Mayfair offices by sub-letting to his company Westover Medical. But it has been claimed Westover never paid a penny.

Burford proposed two investment projects which he used to persuade Fern to stump up £12.5 million. It was based on his claims that he had secured another £18.5 million in funds, which he backed up with financial reports showing that Fern had a balance of £33million.

But the statement, it is said, were all false as were fake 'comfort letters' from the Queen’s bankers Coutts.

The court heard that the £18.5 million Burford had said he had secured was also false and he had actually taken the company’s £12.5 million to spend mostly on propping up his failing companies and to buy Broadwell Manor.

The court was told since Fern launched legal proceedings against him, Burford has failed to put forward concrete plans to repay the money.

He has transferred his shares in the restaurant and the two luxury cars which he had leased on HP, but it is believed these are the only ones.

The Evening Standard said Stephen Hallam, Burford’s solicitor, said he had no comment to make at this time.

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Company director 'funded high life for him and wife including £9m Cotswold home and Aston Martin by stealing £12m from his own investment firm'